


Inconsequential

by octopus_fool



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Fix-It, Fluff, Gen, Humor, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-17
Updated: 2016-06-17
Packaged: 2018-07-15 15:40:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7228567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/octopus_fool/pseuds/octopus_fool
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes, chatter can make even the worst schoolyear a bit more bearable. Other times, it simply isn't necessary.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Inconsequential

**Author's Note:**

  * For [occupyasgard](https://archiveofourown.org/users/occupyasgard/gifts).



Lavender looked at the empty bed they had been ignoring for over a week. “I never thought I’d say this, but I kind of miss her,” she said in a hushed voice. “It just isn’t right this way.”

Parvati nodded. “Hogwarts seems to feel the same way. I’ve heard people say that they are trying to remove the beds of muggleborns while we are in lessons, but the beds aren’t letting themselves be moved.”

“Dumbledore wouldn’t stand for it either,” Lavender said, her eyes brimming with tears. “I still can’t believe Snape is headmaster now.”

“It reminds me of when Umbridge ran the school, but back then, we knew that Dumbledore would somehow be there to help if necessary. Now we’re just never quite sure when You-know-who-really-stinks might show up.”

“I kind of want the DA back,” Lavender said quietly. “It was more bearable when we could actually do something against Umbridge.”

“I saw Neville, Ginny and Luna whispering in the hallway yesterday,” Parvati said. “I think they may be trying to revive the DA.”

“I hope they do. I’m just not sure who would teach us with Harry gone though.”

“Maybe everyone can contribute their own bit of knowledge. I could contribute a few healing spells, I’ve been practicing a few simple ones. And I could ask Padma if she knows some good DA books, I know she did a bit of reading over the summer.”

Lavender looked at the empty bed again. “I’m pretty sure Hermione would already have dragged a huge stack out of her trunk by now, surprised we haven’t already read all of them.”

Parvati nodded. “It really is going to be strange to spend the year without her. And N.E.W.T. year at that.”

“At least you are still here,” Lavender said. “I don’t think school would be bearable without you here.”

 

There was a sharp crack as Hannah’s foot hit the floor at an odd angle. She inhaled sharply and they could see tears of pain rushing to her eyes as thick goops of the non-removable paint splattered across the floor and their clothes.

Lavender looked at Parvati. “Are your spells for healing cracked bones any good yet?”

Parvati shook her head. “I’m afraid not. I would probably do more harm than good.”

“So what do we do now?” Hannah asked, panic rising in her voice.

“Hospital wing,” Lavender said matter-of-factly, waving her wand to reapply the invisibility charm. It was far from perfect, but at least it would stop anybody from noticing them unless they were looking straight at them.

“But they make Madame Pomfrey account for every spell she performs and every salve she applies,” Hannah said. “And they’ll be looking for whoever was responsible for vandalising this wall and floor soon and we didn’t take the counter-potion to remove the paint with us.”

“She’s still first and foremost a healer. You need help and she’ll help us. We’ll come up with something.”

Parvati nodded. “There’s no other way. You can’t hide a broken ankle and we can’t fix it ourselves.”

“Maybe it’s not broken?” Hannah asked doubtfully.

Parvati leaned down and checked it over. She shook her head. “I’m afraid it is. Can you get up if we help you?”

“I think so,” Hannah said.

Between the three of them, they managed to get her back on her feet and started hobbling towards the hospital wing, Hannah with her arms around the two Gryffindors, clenching her teeth.

 

Madame Pomfrey didn’t ask any questions, but got to work on examining Hannah’s ankle.

“It’s definitely broken, but I need to do a few tests to find out the extent of the damage.” She walked back into her office.

The three of them exchanged looks.

“Do you think she’s going to fetch the Carrows?” Hannah asked.

Parvati shook her head. “I don’t think so. She hasn’t shown any signs of being in league with them, just of being pressured by them.”

Lavender nodded. “And if she does, at least we’ll get a nice glance at Amycus Carrow’s bum in pyjamas.”

Hannah and Parvati stared at her.

“What? Don’t tell me you’ve never looked at it. The man may be a cruel imbecile, but I know a fine bum when I see one.” She looked at their blank faces. “Really? You haven’t noticed?”

Hannah broke into giggles, though she winced when she accidentally jostled her foot. “Honestly? You’ve stared at his _bum_?!”

“It’s definitely worth it,” Lavender said. 

Parvati shook her head. “You’re unbelievable. I can understand appreciating a nice behind, but have you _looked_ at the man? I’m certain his father must have been a troll, and one of the uglier ones at that.”

Lavender shrugged. “Maybe, but a troll a with a nice bum. And that’s the nice thing about bums: you usually don’t have to see the face that goes with it while looking at it.”

They were struggling to keep their laughter quiet by now. Hannah’s face was no longer quite as pale as it had been, though it was still a bit strained.

“Do you think the bum was what convinced his mother to jump into bed with his troll father?” Parvati asked. “Or did his conversational qualities impress her?”

“Well, if it was the bum, they either had to get quite creative with positions while doing the do or she had to keep her eyes firmly shut,” Lavender contemplated.

“Eurgh, you two are nasty,” Hannah said, giggling. “I never even wanted to imagine thinking about that.”

“Sorry,” Lavender said. “But his bum really is nice. I wonder what it would feel like to touch it. Maybe-“

She quickly cut herself off when Madame Pomfrey returned to the room.

Madame Pomfrey handed Hannah a vial of a brown potion. “Alright, I need you to drink this potion so that I can see the bones more clearly when I scan your ankle and make sure that there aren’t any splinters that would require a more complicated treatment.”

It didn’t take long before Madame Pomfrey had healed Hannah’s ankle and Hannah was gingerly putting weight on it again. 

“I’ll just tell them that I had a small accident and healed myself,” Madame Pomfrey said as she sent them off. “I trust you have something to clean that up with?” She gestured at the paint on their robes.

Parvati nodded. “Yes, in a safe place.”

“Good. You’ll want to be more careful in the future. Foolhardy actions just for the sake of protesting really aren’t worth the injuries they might cause you.”

 

“Please tell me you haven’t really been staring at Amycus Carrow’s rear end,” Parvati said as they were sneaking back to their own dormitory after escorting Hannah back to hers.

Lavender shuddered. “Ew, no. Of course not! I just wanted to distract Hannah. My taste isn’t that horrible.”

“Well, that’s a relief,” Parvati said. “I was starting to think someone might have you under the Imperius curse. Besides, it wouldn’t be the first time you have shown bad taste in men.”

Lavender groaned. “Will you ever stop going on about that? I was young, hormonal and stupid.” 

“You’re still young,” Parvati pointed out, “though I’ll leave you to be the judge about the other two.”

“Hey, that’s mean,” Lavender protested and gave Parvati a light shove. 

“I’m pretty sure you deserve it; after all, you made me think about Amycus Carrow’s behind. And his parents reproducing.”

“You do have a point,” Lavender conceded. 

They continued on in silence for a few minutes, making their way up the moving staircases in the dark.

“You know, I actually haven’t thought about relationships in quite a while,” Lavender said.

“I haven’t either,” Parvati agreed. “Somehow there just seem to be more important things to think about.”

Lavender nodded. “All those stories about wartime romance had it wrong. There just isn’t the time or the energy to think about boys, leave alone how to get into a relationship with one.”

“Yes, there is rather less snogging and cuddling and more being drenched in non-removable paint and trips to the hospital wing. Rather disappointing, really.”

“Not to mention worrying about having to flee to the Room of Requirement with its lack of shower,” Lavender added.

“You know, I think the lack of showers may also be contributing to the lack of romance,” Parvati pointed out.

Lavender shuddered. “There’s just a lot less appeal to guys whose skin hasn’t seen water in days or even weeks. I swear that Neville already had that smudge on his forearm last week.”

“Oh ew! Please don’t always point out these things to me! You know I’ll already be spending our next Dark Art lessons trying not to look at a certain bum and trying even harder not to gag. My only consolation is that I know you will be struggling against the same thing.”

Lavender only laughed as they reached the portrait hole, told the drowsy Pink Lady the password and climbed inside, eager to finally get to bed.

 

Parvati shifted her mattress closer to Lavender’s and sat down. She looked around the room at the other students settling down for the night.  
“It’s strange to finally be holed up in here as well. I don’t think there’s been a night at Hogwarts that I didn’t spend in our dormitory, except for that night when Sirius Black broke in.”

“It does feel strange, doesn’t it?” Lavender agreed. “But I do feel safer here, especially after getting caught today.”

Parvati nodded. “Do you think Padma is in danger?”

“No, I doubt they’ll go after her. She has managed to keep such a low profile so far and if they do, Sue, Lisa and Mandy will buy her time to escape here, I’m quite certain of it.”

“I hope you’re right.”

“Come here, I’ll do your braids,” Lavender offered and Parvati scooted over.

“The room does look quite different from the first time around, doesn’t it?” Lavender asked.

“It does,” Parvati agreed. “It really is useful that it can be adjusted so easily. I liked it well-enough the first time around, but it is a lot more comfortable now. Especially since you managed to ask for a bathroom with a shower.”

“I don’t think I would have been able to stand it in here otherwise,” Lavender said, pulling a face. “But I’m glad we still have an area to practice defence and I expect those books will be useful too, though I never thought that would be something I’d ever say.”

“I think some of them may be those Harry asked for when he first arranged the Room of Requirement for Dumbledore’s Army. I never thought that would really be for much more than some extra practice for O.W.Ls.”

“Where do you think he is?” Lavender asked.

“Harry? Probably wherever we’d least expect him. Maybe on vacation in Spain.”

Lavender giggled. “Probably trying to get a tan and just getting sunburnt.”

“The-boy-who-sunbathed.”

“The-boy-who-drowned-in-sun-cream.” 

“The-boy-who-roasted.”

“The-boy-who-became-a-lobster.”

“Probably a good disguise against Lord-Nosejob-gone-wrong,” Parvati said.

“Unless he likes seafood,” Lavender pointed out. “Especially if lobster Harry has a lightning-shaped marking on its shell.”

“It wouldn’t be like Harry though,” Parvati said, suddenly sober again. “He’s probably working on a way to change all of this.” She waved her hand around in a vague gesture.

“I know,” Lavender agreed. 

They sat in silence for a few moments, Lavender’s hands weaving Parvati’s hair in smooth movements in the dim light.

“It’s funny though,” Parvati finally said. “He used to just be one of our classmates, a bit famous and always attracting trouble, but mostly just awkward, unwilling to dance and pretty much one like all the others. But somehow, the way everyone is talking about Harry, I keep catching myself thinking that somehow, he is going to defeat You-know-who-has-snake-breath.”

Lavender nodded. “I know. It’s odd thinking about someone you’ve seen falling asleep in his breakfast, messing up spells and just tying his shoelaces as something of a saviour. But I also keep imagining him making some kind of grand entrance and saving the day.”

“And you just know it’s going to be some ridiculously grand entrance, don’t you? Rising from the lake in one of those muggle submarines, or apparating into the middle of the Great Hall while the Carrows are giving one of their tedious speeches.”

“I wouldn’t put it past him to fly in on a dragon,” Lavender said.

Parvati laughed. “He would, wouldn’t he? And Ron would insist he had been the one to capture it, while Hermione told everyone some obscure fact she read in a book about dragons.”

“It’s also funny how everyone just assumes the three of them are off together,” Lavender said.

“Of course they are. Ron and Hermione wouldn’t just let Harry run off on his own. If you had to go on the run from Lord-forgot-his-own-name, I’d definitely come along to keep you company.”

“Aw, thank you!” Lavender pulled Parvati into a hug. 

 

“And that’s how the Carrows ended up dressing down Professor Trelawney in front of the entire school,” Colin Creevey finished his report.

Lavender and Parvati exchanged looks. 

“This evening,” Lavender whispered as Neville asked again whether Professor Trelawney had been hurt.

It was strange being out and about in the castle again after only leaving the Room of Requirement when absolutely necessary in the past few weeks. The castle was quiet, but it was a different quiet than that which had hung over Hogwarts in the nights of previous years. Parvati and Lavender were constantly aware of the danger of being caught, but they managed to get to the staircase leading up the divination classroom without any incidents.

Parvati quietly knocked on the trapdoor. 

“I’m sorry, I caught the flu and wouldn’t want anyone else to catch it.” Professor Trelawney’s voice sounded rather congested indeed, but neither Lavender nor Parvati had any doubt that this was due to other reasons.

“Professor Trelawney, it’s us,” Lavender said, reversing the invisibility charm. She was glad she was getting quite good at invisibility charms. The others thought it was a bit ironic, considering that Lavender usually preferred being seen, but it made sense to her. All things considered, invisibility charms weren’t that different from glamour charms. 

There was the sound of hurried steps and then the trapdoor opened, revealing Professor Trelawney. The rings under her eyes were larger than they remembered.

Professor Trelawney glanced past them. “Are you alright? What happened? Do you need help?”

“No, don’t worry, we’re perfectly fine,” Parvati said quickly.

“We just wanted to visit you,” Lavender added. “May we come in?”

“Of course, of course! There’s little use in standing out here,” Professor Trelawney said, waving them inside with her scarves fluttering. She locked the door behind them.

“Where have you been?” Professor Trelawney asked. “I was worried sick when you disappeared after that story with the cursed armours. Of course, my crystals told me you would be fine, but still. And they were looking everywhere for you too, if for entirely different reasons.”

“We had to go into hiding for a bit,” Parvati answered. “Just to be on the safe side. But we’ve been quite well really, even though we miss everyone and would prefer being able to go to lessons.”

“Dumbledore wouldn’t stand for this,” Professor Trelawney said, her eyes becoming dangerously moist. “He wouldn’t have stood for any of this, students disappearing, students being tortured, strangers trampling the school’s principles and insulting the teachers...”

“He wouldn’t have,” Parvati agreed as Lavender hurried to start brewing some tea. “But I can assure you that all of the students that have gone missing here in Hogwarts itself are quite safe and well.”

“Of course they are, but I foresee great danger for them,” Professor Trelawney replied. “Do be careful, for the day You-know-who will come forward is not far now.”

Parvati tried not to shudder. Instead, she opened the bag she had brought with her, its contents supplied by Aberforth Dumbledore.  
“We brought you something, Professor Trelawney. Apple cake with custard and your favourite cinnamon fairy cakes.”

“Oh, that is so lovely of you!” Professor Trelawney exclaimed. “But I cannot possibly accept, not when you don’t have the regular meals in the Great Hall to keep you nourished.”

“We are well cared for, don’t worry,” Lavender said, carrying over a tray with teacups and a teapot. “We won’t go hungry.”

“Oh, thank Merlin for that!” Professor Trelawney said, setting out the cups and pouring the tea. “At least this day has one good thing to offer. My Sight had warned me of today, but something told me to get out of bed and go downstairs anyway. You will not believe what I had to endure...”

She launched into a tearful report of the day’s events while Lavender patted her arm and Parvati handed her a new tissue whenever necessary.

When they had made their sympathetic comments and talked as much about their current situation as they could without giving themselves away, Parvati gestured at Professor Trelawney’s cup with a smile.  
“Three swirls with your left hand.”

Professor Trelawney smiled as well. “I’m just afraid it won’t show anything positive. It never does these days.”

“Let’s just give it a try,” Lavender said. “If it warns of bad things to come, well, it’s nothing we did not know before and who knows, maybe things will finally start to look better.”

Professor Trelawney held out her cup to Parvati and Lavender eagerly leaned over her friend’s shoulder to peer into the teacup as well. Parvati tilted the teacup, trying to make sense of its contents. After a moment, she smiled widely. 

“There’s a phoenix here, so that means there will be a new start after destruction.”

“And here is a daisy,” Lavender added. “There will be happiness in the small things in your life soon.”

Professor Trelawney beamed at them. “The two of you were always my most promising students. I knew you had the Sight from the moment you first set foot in my classroom. It was so wonderful of you to come and see me, I hope you will be able to visit me again soon.”

“I’m not sure that will be possible, Professor Trelawney,” Parvati said, hugging her teacher. “It is quite a risk to be out in the corridors.”

“Of course, of course,” Professor Trelawney said. “It is much more important that you stay safe.”

“We will try to visit you again soon though, if we manage to,” Lavender said.

Professor Trelawney hugged her too. “Thank you so much my dears, I do so miss having you in my classes.”

Lavender cast another invisibility charm on the two of them and after assuring Professor Trelawney that they would be careful, they left the room.

Two large eyes were staring at them critically. Lavender started slightly, but Parvati began laughing.

“Don’t worry, it’s not Mrs Norris, it’s just one of the many tabbies roaming the school.”

Lavender shuddered. “They still have this way of looking at you. This one looks just like it understands everything that is going on and is about to chide us. And it can see past my invisibility charm.”

The cat stretched, started purring and briefly rubbed past their legs before zipping up through the still open trapdoor.

Parvati looped her arm through Lavender’s. “It’s just a cat, they do that. Besides, we all know that cats have better eyesight than humans. And this one even looked as though it was wearing spectacles.”

As they started their trip back to the Room of Requirement, Parvati whispered. “I’m just glad Professor Trelawney isn’t as good as seeing through mundane things.”

Lavender nodded. “And that she didn’t ask to see the tealeaves herself. There was nothing but doom and destruction in there.”

 

Parvati looked down at Lavender’s still form on the bed in the hospital wing. Padma had taken over the task of trying to notify Lavender’s parents, but so far, all attempts to reach them in the chaos after the battle had failed. And so Parvati was the one sitting beside her. 

The fall from the balcony had been a bad one. The healers that had arrived from St. Mungo’s had had to mend several broken bones, but those hadn’t been the worst of it. Several of Lavender’s internal organs had also sustained significant injuries. Parvati had watched as several healers had waved their wands over her with grave faces and transferred quite a few bubbling and fuming potions into her stomach.

“We’ve done everything we can for now,” the healer said before moving on to the next patient. “Now we have to wait. I’m afraid there’s not much cause for optimism, except perhaps that she has survived until now.”

Parvati had been sitting at Lavender’s side ever since. Lavender’s hand was warm and pale in her own, the nails shredded from trying to cling onto the railing. Parvati realised she had been running her thumb over it in circles for quite some time now. 

Parvati wondered how much Lavender would remember when she woke up. If she woke up.

She had thought about talking to Lavender, the muggles swore that it sometimes helped. Somehow, Parvati couldn’t bring herself to do so. She was too exhausted and nothing seemed as wrong as talking to Lavender without getting any answers. 

She had only told her the most important thing. “We won. He-who-deserves-no-name is dead. We won.”

Victory felt incredibly stale, but Lavender needed to know. Perhaps the news would bring her back. 

Since then, Parvati had been watching the rise and fall of Lavender’s chest. Shallow breaths, but steady. With every exhale, she willed them to continue.

Parvati did not know for how long she had been sitting there. The hours were blending into one long monotony of worry and exhaustion.

She did not notice the slight increase of pressure on her hand at first. When she did, she held her breath and looked at Lavender. She was still breathing. And her eyes were open.

“Lavender?”

“You’re here.” Lavender’s voice was little more than a croak, but it was the best thing Parvati had heard all day.

Parvati squeezed Lavender’s hand, distantly aware that tears had started rolling down her cheeks.

“Of course I am.”


End file.
